Americas

THE IIC IN THE AMERICAS

There are two active IIC chapters in North America where the IIC has looked at issues such as innovation, investment incentives and internet governance as well as policy and regulatory decision making in the emerging and developed American markets.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, has called for regulation of facial recognition software in the US, reports VentureBeat. “In a democratic republic, there is no substitute for decision making by our elected representatives regarding the issues that require the balancing of public safety with the essence of our democratic freedoms.

A joint paper by the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence) and the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) on data and competition, provides background on the approach to data likely to be taken by two of the most active competition authorities in the EU, a blog at Bird & Bird notes.

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has published draft guidelines on the implementation by regulators of new EU net neutrality rules and is seeking the views of stakeholders, with the consultation closing on 18 July.

Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has approved a regulation to ensure access to telecoms services and equipment for people with hearing, visual, motor and cognitive disabilities on an equal basis with others, both in urban and rural areas, notes Telecom Paper.

Navdeep Bains, Canada's minister of innovation, science and economic development, has upheld the decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to extend wholesale broadband regulation to fibre to the home.

More InterMedia articles on the Americas

Andrus Ansip (left), European commissioner leading the digital single market project team, and Günther Oettinger, commissioner for the digital economy and society, at the strategy launch in May.June 2015, Volume 43 Issue 02

The victory for net neutrality for pressure groups such as Credo owes much to President Obama. And a paper from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society finds that “the net neutrality debate is the first major example of a successful campaign to achieve an affirmative rule change in the teeth of well-organised lobbying opposition”.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

How can network operators and service providers settle value for their wares in a converged world, where services are network agnostic? sumit sharma presents a bargaining framework that could unite all players in a ‘game’April 2016, Volume 44 Issue 01

As the OECD prepares for a ministerial meeting on the digital economy, Jørgen Abild Andersen argues that the highest level of coordination among many government departments is needed to deliver its aims

Jonathan Jacob Nadler says the FCC’s new Open Internet Remand Order makes five fundamental changes, faces five legal challenges – and will have five unintended consequences.June 2015, Volume 43 Issue 02

Many countries are keen to foster policies that help develop world class ICT centres. To this end, GIUDITTA DE PRATO and DANIEL NEPELSKI describe a European project that maps and measures ICT ‘poles of excellence’.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

As regulators start to fundamentally review their remits, Chris Chapman, the incoming president of the IIC and chair of Australia’s ACMA, details the extent of digital disruption and possible regulatory response, in this two-part article.January 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04

Continuing our coverage of spectrum auctions, Stefan Zehle explores further the pitfalls and implications for the public purse, drawing on key examples from the past decade.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

The modern sharing economy is small but growing - and enabled by the internet. John Ure discusses its possible impact and where regulation may be heading, with particular reference to Asia.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

The IIC’s annual conference in Washington in the autumn brought together many of the world’s top industry figures and regulators. Convergence is still the main game in town – but the focus is shifting to its management. Report by Intermedia editor, Marc BeishonJanuary 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04

The dust has settled on the world’s first auction that incentivised broadcasters to relinquish spectrum for wireless use. HOWARD SYMONS and PAUL MILGROM, who were part of the auction team, reflect on the process and the implications.

Where cables land: a still from an impressive animation by Business Insider on submarine cables around the world, produced from TeleGeography's Submarine Cable Map, a free resource that allows data to be downloaded.September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03

Pai was appointed as a commissioner by Barack Obama in 2012. Among his views: “Given how rapidly the communications sector is changing, the FCC should do everything it can to ensure that its rules reflect the realities of the current marketplace and basic principles of economics.”

We got there in the end: The European Commission makes a big point about ‘roam like at home’, the end of mobile roaming charges in the European Union on 15 June, a ban that has taken ten years to negotiate.

The pressure on terrestrial broadcasters to give spectrum to the mobile sector shows no sign of letting up. Roland Beutler, at Germany's Südwestrundfunk, a regional public broadcaster, puts his side of the debate.September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03

The hype about the next generation of mobile technology is likely to gather pace in the next few years, but currently there is a lot of scepticism about whether it qualifies as an integrated, great leap in progress, as Marc Beishon finds in this round-upJuly 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02

Regulatory Watch articles on the Americas

It’s been four years since US regulator, the FCC, voted to make 100 MHz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band available for unlicensed use, but one incumbent user says it has recently measured a “dramatic rise” in the 5.1 GHz noise level, reports Cablefax.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, has called for regulation of facial recognition software in the US, reports VentureBeat. “In a democratic republic, there is no substitute for decision making by our elected representatives regarding the issues that require the balancing of public safety with the essence of our democratic freedoms.

Former chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Keith Mitchell, says Caricom is soon to launch a multistakeholder partnership to fast-track specific elements of the “single ICT space”, notes the Jamaica Observer.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has published a digital report on the future of broadcasting in Canada. The report proposes new tools and regulatory approaches to support the production and promotion of audio and video content made by and for Canadians.

In a 5-4 ruling, the US Supreme Court has decided that the government generally needs a warrant in order to access cell site location information, which is automatically generated whenever a mobile phone connects to a cell tower and is stored by wireless carriers for years, reports Wired.

The US Senate has voted 52-47 to disapprove the FCC’s recent order replacing 2015’s net neutrality rules, “a pleasant surprise for internet advocates and consumers throughout the country”, reports TechCrunch.

An article by Anya Schiffrin in Policy Syndicate considers that for more than a decade, Ecuadorian journalists have increasingly felt the effects of repressive media and speech laws that were supposedly enacted in the "public interest”.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on proposed application and bidding procedures for the auctions of the 28 GHz and 24 GHz spectrum bands to promote the development of 5G technology, the internet of things, and other advanced spectrum-based services.

The GSMA has issued a report, “Effective spectrum pricing in Latin America: policies to support better quality and more affordable mobile services”, highlighting that spectrum policies in Latin America are impacting the delivery of quality mobile services to consumers across the region.

Telecoms and law professor Rob Frieden has written about a US National Security Council initiative that identifies the security and public safety benefits in having a government owned 5G wireless network leased by commercial ventures.

The US FCC has issued a plan for a new Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), part of reforms for the agency in organisational structures, authorities, and practices “to better incorporate economic analysis as well as data management as part of the agency’s regular operation”.

A group of 21 US state attorney generals have filed suit to challenge the FCC’s decision to do away with net neutrality while Democrats said they needed just one more vote in the Senate to repeal the FCC ruling, reports Reuters.

The US Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force (C2HFCC) has announced that the FCC and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have joined forces, signing a memorandum of understanding that will focus on how increasing broadband access and adoption in rural areas can improve the lives of rural cancer patients.

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has loosened media ownership regulations in the US after a 3-2 vote by its executive which, while an expected development under the Trump administration, has drawn a mixed reaction, notes Rapid TV News.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has enacted reforms that it says will better enable providers to invest in next-generation networks. The FCC is also seeking comment on additional reforms, including how the FCC can expedite rebuilding and repairing broadband infrastructure after natural disasters.

FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, wants Apple to turn on the FM radio that’s hidden inside iPhones, reports The Verge. In a statement, he asked that Apple “reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.”

Bolivia's telecommunications regulation authority, ATT, and the ITU have issued a statement confirming that they will work together to promote the goal of ending international roaming charges between countries in the Andean community, reports Telecompaper.

Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MinTIC) has presented a bill to Congress that will merge the telecoms regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Communications, CRC) with the National Television Authority (ANTV),...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to eliminate a longstanding rule covering radio and television stations, in a move that could ultimately reshape America's media landscape, reports the Washington Post.

The GSMA has brought out a report, “Wholesale open access networks”, which examines the performance of the wholesale open access network (WOAN) model (also known as single wholesale network, SWN) in five markets: Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Rwanda and South Africa.

Mexico’s 2013 telecom reform has brought benefits, spurring competition that has increased access and brought down mobile internet costs from among the highest in advanced economies to among the lowest, according to the OECD Telecommunication and Broadcasting Review of Mexico 2017.

The five member states of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) are updating their telecoms framework with legislation, reports the St Kitts & Nevis Observer. A new electronic communications bill is expected to come before the parliaments of the member states.

The Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) report for 2017 evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underserved people across 26 geographically, politically and economically diverse countries.